Royal Pains
by PoohAndHoneyToo
Summary: In a far off land, a great danger arises that threatens the Royal family. With no one else to turn to, the King of this land promotes a loyal, though very strange man to serve as the protector of the Prince. Will this Knight survive the battle and connect with the snobby Prince?.. Or will everything shatter out from under them? Prucan Kingdom AU, Prince Matthew and Knight Gilbert
1. Chapter 1

There was absolutely no one within the kingdom who didn't hear about the threat on the royal family's life. It was something that made the palace buzz louder and longer than the juiciest bit of gossip the housewives exchanged daily. It wasn't unheard of of course. Plenty of other royals had had threats made upon them and, in some instances, had met their untimely demise resulting in the downfall of an empire or two. The thing that made this particular situation odd was that the thought the threat was made to the king, Francis, the attempt was made on his son.

Needless to say his majesty was livid and the people appalled by the act. The prince himself wasn't hurt, merely shaken, the same could not be said of his former guard. As far as anyone was concerned a king without an heir was a doomed Empire and this did not bode well for the people nor the family. Laws were made stricter, security tightened and alliances made. The king would allow nothing to happen to himself, his family or the people so long as he was able to control the situation.

The prince himself was under what could be considered a sort of house arrest and a new guard brought in to replace his previous one. Now this wouldn't be a problem for anyone else one might suppose. In fact it may even seem a very desirable situation given the circumstance! Except... The prince was quite a difficult person and he had been very attached to his previous guard to the point where he insisted he had no desire for a new one. Of course his will was overridden by the kings own and he was to have a new one anyway. The best they could find. A seasoned soldier with a will of steel and perhaps just the tiniest bit of rebelliousness in him.

Matthew Williams was graced with the knight who may or may not prove to be a challenge to deal with.

He didn't know this yet of course. Matthew was busy avoiding anyone who he heard coming by ducking into various halls until he wound up in the courtyard where he was caught by his own governess. "Matthew your father is looking for you." The elderly woman hissed, none too fearful of the boy she'd raised herself. The blond sighed and whined, much like a child would do with his own mother. He was much to big to be doing such a thing as he was soon to celebrate his eighteenth winter but he was spoiled and still very much a child. "I'm busy!" He lied. She began fussing over him and his clothing, smoothing down his wispy curls and giving him a light swat to the thigh which earned an over dramatic cry. "You go to your father before he sends a knight for you!"

The young royal heaved an unhappy sigh and with the threat of another lashing all but ran to the dining hall where his father waited. It was clear he was late for something as he walked in past the guards outside. The air was tense and his father with his adviser wore expressions that were disapproving of the prince's tardiness. There was another man there who immediately caught Matthew's attention but before he could examine him his father barked for him to sit. He obeyed immediately, scurrying to sit next to him quietly. It was then he noticed the clothing of the stranger as well as the sword and previously curious bright lilacs became dim, narrowed and resentful.

This stranger. This... /knight/. This was to be his new guard.

"Don't be rude Mathieu. Introduce yourself." Francis chimed in his usual cheery voice.  
The agitated male stared at the stranger, taking in his appearance with as neutral an expression he could have when he was obviously unhappy with the situation. After a long pause he folded his arms delicately across his chest and blinked slowly. "Matthew. A pleasure I'm sure." He drawled. Francis sighed and shook his head. It was clear after nothing else was said that they wouldn't be getting anything more from him. "I'm sorry Gilbert, he's been cooped for far too long I fear."

* * *

It was uncommon that any knights were handed a letter as they were going about their lines. It was even more uncommon to find that this letter was from the King himself, informing Gilbert that he had been 'promoted' (and yes, the King had added quotation marks as he knew how much of a nuisance his son could be) to the job of taking care of a certain Matthew Bonnefoy. And once more, it was highly uncommon that the addressed knight would have his heavy-duty armour removed to be replaced with durable but much lighter chain links, then escorted away from his colleagues with his few belongings and taken to the royal palace.

Gilbert, an oddly coloured man, did not resist though as he was brought through the grand double doors of he entrance, his long-time friend and the King Francis sitting high and mighty in his throne, a none-too-pleased son sitting next to him. Carefully, Gilbert's things were removed from his grasp, the two guards who had brought him there gave him curt nods before taking the few items to where GIlbert would no doubt be calling his new room. Once more, he didn't complain as he got on one knee before the blonds, bowing respectfully and moving his body into position once he'd straightened.

The Kind uttered words of encouragement, urging his son to introduce himself. Red eyes couldn't help but stare at the apparent Prince, in all of his gloom. His gaze didn't waver as it was met with cold violets, words dripping with obvious distaste. As the server of his Highness, Gilbert didn't lash out at how rude the other was; he didn't whine nor did he speak unless spoken to just as his old pal had instructed him. Not unless the two had arranged a one-on-one meeting would Gil remove his Knightly attitude from view. "No, Sir, it's quite the pleasure indeed." He replied, masked though still critical gaze shifting back to the higher of the blonds.

The man hummed, casting a sideways glance at Prince Matthew before speaking to Gilbert once more. "Well, Gilbert. It is, as you've surely heard, a dire time for my son. His life is in danger, and who better to trust in protecting him than you? My highest of knights, and noblest of them all." What was supposed to be a snobbish grin turned into a Cheshire-like one, Francis unable to perform fully as a king should. Luckily, this went unnoticed to everyone but Gilbert, the albino used to his friends hidden looks of appreciation and friendship. "As such, I hereby promote you to the title of 'Keeper'. My son shall show you to your living quarters, at the base of the tallest tower."

Ah yes. Anyone who was anyone knew that Matthew's bedroom had been relocated to one of the many towers of the castle. Nobody knew which one exactly, though everyone did indeed have the suspicion that it was the tallest as tended in most fairy tales and folklore; Francis had only confirmed it.

With one final bow, Gilbert cast the tiniest of smiles int he direction of his superior, standing to his full height and following the begrudging prince from a fair distance, the blond having sped up ahead as though wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. This allowed, unbeknownst to Matthew, Gilbert much time to scrutinize the other's tendencies and habits. Of course not to their full extent, but he quickly gathered an idea of who he was dealing with. A man- no, a /boy/, childlike and foolish. He was the absolute epitome of a snobbish Prince. All this, gathered simply from his prior actions as well as his fashion of walking.

Despite the problems Gilbert might already feel coming, he continued on, picking up his step to come to walk next to the blond. Oh yes, they would surely have a personality clash, he noted as the blond took a side-glance as him from a rather long and thin nose. He would have to work hard to keep his personal 'Gilbert' thoughts out of the way of his dutiful 'Sir Knight and Keeper' thoughts. At the very least, he would be able to see his friend rather often.

Deciding that it couldn't hurt to personally say hello, he thought as they stopped in front of an intricately decorated door to the right of a large looking spiral staircase, Gilbert bowed his head and held out his hand, asking for Matthew to place his manicured ones within it for Gilbert to properly greet him. "It is an honour to protect you, Prince." He resisted the urge to flick his gaze back up to see the pompous expression he imagined the other to wear, a small smile beginning to surface in amusement at the thought. Obviously, he wasn't very good at hiding his mischievous and teasing methods now was he?

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**Pooh: Once more, Honey edited this. Jeesh, we're spitting out stories non-stop, aren't we? But all the better for you readers I suppose! Well we hope you enjoyed this story- we're definitely getting on quickly with it so expect updates for all our published works soon. And because Honey doesn't seem to be much of a fan of writing these A/Ns, I'm just going to say that she's really excited and happy that we even _have_ readers! **  
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****So, to show her that you guys care and are having a good time with us, why not provide a few follows and favourites? They're highly appreciated, and certainly encourage us to continue posting. c:**


	2. Chapter 2

Matthew did find it odd that his father would refer to the knight with his first name rather than a title and then his surname or even simply his surname but he made no note. He didn't care. Instead he gave a soft scoff at the knights kind reply. So polite and exact; calculating even. The blond didn't like it. It was too formal, too strange, too... well rehearsed. To being excused (unnecessarily so) the young prince rolled his eyes and glanced away to what he now deemed an interesting spot on the table.

He only glanced up upon hearing the word 'keeper'. Perhaps he was nit picking but he couldn't help but feel that suddenly he was being imprisoned. He was glad to be excused finally. If only to show his keeper, his warden, to his room and then flee to a place where hopefully the other couldn't follow. Darting up ahead he kept his quick pace in a weak attempt to loose his new caretaker. Admittedly he may have been stomping around and wearing the most petulant of his pouts to show how unhappy he was with the whole ordeal but he couldn't lie; he was painfully curious about this knight.

Who was he? How did he know the king? How was he chosen to be his guard?

The young man could feel eyes boring into him and if nothing else it was certainly unsettling. At least it was until he felt the knight move beside him. His piercing lilac gaze flicked over for a moment, nearly wanting to hiss at the other for being so close, but he refrained. Finally arriving to the base of his tower- this was something he never thought he would get used to saying, it made him feel like a princess- he fixed the knight who bowed before him with a flat and very unamused stare. He was sure there wasn't anything that was supposed to be amusing about what he was doing but he just wanted it to be known that he wasn't. Just in case there was.

"An honour..." Matthew echoed quietly, turning his nose up at the others lowered head just so. The 'pompous expression' was in fact a failed attempt at a thoughtful one. It would be rude to leave the knight without his hand he knew, almost a slap to the face. He had to admit the thought was tempting but he had other ways of making his dislike known. Reluctantly the prince lifted his delicate, uncalloused hand to slip it into the knight's. He was surprised to find that it fit near perfectly yet managed to keep his face neutral about the revelation. Instead he chose to lash at him verbally. "Clearly... One can only wonder if you'll be able to do half the job my dear knight was able to. You can die trying at least.

The blond's gaze traveled along the knight analytically. He tried to pick apart the other as best he could but it was hard to do when the fool had his head ducked down in that position. "Rise." Matthew ordered with a sigh. "Your name, sir knight. I can't very well go around calling you 'you' now can I?" Well he could and most likely would but he did at least want a name to go with the face he would have the displeasure of seeing for the rest of the foreseeable future. And while he was at it... "If I may..." And by that he meant that he be told immediately as the other really didn't have much of a choice. "How do you know my father? He seemed to know you very well so you must know him equally as well am I correct? If not the please excuse my brash assumption."

It was official; the politeness was killing him. Literally. He could feel all the irritation in him boiling and threatening to bubble over and the knight hadn't even breathed a word yet! Perhaps it was because he couldn't properly see him with his head down? Perhaps it was the hauntingly beautiful color of his mischievous gaze that seemed to be stuck in the prince's mind? Either way he just wanted the other to grant him his respect and release his hand. It was becoming far too intimate for his highness' taste and he couldn't properly hate this man with his sour taste in his mouth!

* * *

The albino raised a naturally translucent, but coloured brow. Oh, looks like the Prince was rather sassy! He waited as the hand was placed gingerly in his before offering it a smooth kiss, breathing still on its surface as he responded. "If he was demoted with I to take his place, I can assure you no deaths shall take place." He responded, voice jovial and almost sounding a bit condensing.

Said fool rose after a moment of hesitation, reluctant to follow the blond's command but knowing he must regardless of personal thoughts. Once more, coloured to black brows rose, the corner of the Knight's mouth upturning in a smirk— thankfully not noticeable to the unobservant one. "Gilbert Beilschmidt." He didn't bother adding his many titles. He wasn't one to brag about such a thing, finding titles to be a rather lame expression of worth and preferring to brag his personality if need be. "The King and I are very old friends." He chose, tactfully, to only give the barest amount of information, choosing not to say that he'd known Matthew when he was but an adorable baby. At that point, the infant was still a pure and innocent soul, a twinkle in his eye that the blond no longer seemed to harbour. Of course, Gil himself had also been young at that point. Francis had acted almost like an older brother to the red-eyed man, practically raising him.

In the time that Matthew regarded him, Gilbert chose to examine the other once more, from the front and up close this time. They were around the same age;the same height as well. Gilbert noted with fascination that the violet-eyed man wore his heart on his sleeve, all emotions and thoughts very prominent in his facial expressions. "You could say that I'm old friends with everybody here."

He could practically see the waves of annoyance flowing from Matthew at this point. Gilbert himself was a bit agitated due to the excessive politeness as well despite his quickly forming smirk, but he didn't understand why Matthew was even maintaining the image he currently portrayed. He seemed sassy enough back in the throne room, so why not let everything drop and become a fiasco of rudeness when he was all alone with the Knight?

Nonetheless, the red-eyed man bowed once more to the Prince before waltzing into the room, letting his eyes gloss over everything and expecting the blond to most likely leave in a huff. A large mirror over a dresser, adorned in gold and intricate patterns. A large, king-sized bed against the wall with only the finest of fabrics as blankets. All the many other features proved to make the room fit for only the highest of men, though there was no bathroom, meaning GIlbert would be washing himself publicly with the servants and maids. He whistled in appreciation, removing his metal headgear and freeing his sweating head. He ruffled his hair, black charcoal rubbing off and onto his fingers. "How beautiful..." He murmured, almost afraid to touch anything.

It was only after he heard a cough from behind him that he turned, realizing that the Prince was still there. His eyes widened slightly and he hurriedly hid his stained hand, flinging the headgear back on. One of the worst parts about being an albino was all the cruel things attached. The people of the current age were not used to seeing such bright hair, the lightest being the blond of the Prince and King. Gilbert was accused of witchcraft, hailing Satan and much, much more. However, he was under the protection of the King, and not only that but Francis had recognized that GIlbert was not but an innocent, albeit mischievous child, and as such, he felt the need to protect the albino. So, at a young age, Gilbert had his hair stained with the black of coal everyday, his eyebrows included and nobody was to know of his odd colouring. The red eyes were much more acceptable with his black hair too. "Umm..." He stuttered, trying to compose himself before the snooty blond. "Yes, Sir? May I help you?"

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**Pooh: New chapter soon, sorry for the wait. Things have been a bit busy lately. **


	3. Chapter 3

The prince felt a strange warmth flood his cheeks, had he been able to see himself he would have seen the lovely shade of pink that they had become. Only from a simple kiss to the hand. No one other than his dear knight and his governess had done such a thing but he knew it was ridiculous to be blushing about it just because this... this stranger decided to take it upon himself to kiss it like he was some sort of princess! Yanking his hand away he frowned, unamused by both his tone and his words. "My dear knight did not get /demoted/." He hissed, dark indigo's boring into the knight in what could only be disgust. "He was killed."

He definitely did not like the knight he decided. He knew he had to contain his anger and not follow his urge to slap him. He couldn't have known but at the same time he shouldn't have assumed. "Beilschmidt..." He humphed, testing his surname with a tone of distaste. Yes Beilschmidt would do just fine when he was feeling kind. Otherwise 'you' fit him just perfectly.

The blond quirked a brow of inquiry at the mans rather bold and very interesting claims. Friends with his father and old friends with everyone in his home? Such a thing to say when he'd never heard of a 'Gilbert Beilschmidt' before. "I have to wonder just how honest you're being there," he admitted, eyes narrowing into small slits when the other began to smirk. It only served to irritate the already annoyed prince further and he wondered just how long it would be until he would slap it off of his face.

Watching him bow and retreat into his room it was surprising the young royal didn't snap at him immediately. He was used to any form of address before anyone was dismissed from his sight. He was barely able to say anything before the knight whistled in what he assumed was appreciation. Stepping in front of the door he froze mid speech to stare at the black mess of hair that was on his head. Somehow... it didn't look right. Something about it was off. Of course he was just a tad distracted with how young he looked. The other couldn't have been that much older than himself by a few seasons.

Matthew cleared his throat for his attention which was received almost instantly. He didn't miss how quickly he threw his helmet back on, nor the way he hid his hand. No, he was far more observant than most gave him credit for and than he pretended not to be. The way he his it however... It made him painfully curious. "'Your highness'." He corrected. "Prince Matthew or even my lord will do. And I don't need 'help' I need service; as in 'how may I serve you'? You'd do well to remember all of that." By then Matthew mentally berated himself for being so quick to lash at him when he was curious as to why he was being so secretive. "But I can overlook it this once..."

He stood for a moment before the faintest of smiles pulled at his lips. It was just a little bit devious but nothing too bad, nor anything that the other would mind so much. "I need you to escort me to my room before you can stay in your own." He informed the knight, sending a longing glance to the staircase that led to his room. "It's a long way up by myself." Of course he could make it by himself but the other wasn't aware of that and he would probably find out just as soon as he could get what he wanted.

* * *

It really had shocked Gilbert to hear that the other Knight was killed... He'd not expected that from the way Matthew spoke of him. Nonetheless, he did not comment further, only lowered his eyes as he head into the room. Now, however, faced with the blond once again he couldn't help but mentally berate himself for the foolish mistake he was making. Not only had he left without being dismissed, seemed disrespectful and spoken out of line, but he was not addressing the other correctly either! This went entirely against his profound training to make him the best of the best, so it was no surprise that he wanted to punch himself even with his mischief.

"My apologies, your Highness, I lost my head." He replied, bowing with both hands behind his back, only to rise when the Prince said he would 'overlook' it. And seeing that smile... Oh dear lord, this was not good. Not at all, in Gilbert's book. He was internally wincing, catching on easily to the planning smile that adorned the Prince's pink lips. That could only mean trouble, and if the next request wasn't enough to confirm it, Gilbert knew not what could. "Of course..." He murmured, not believing a word. There was the undertone of requesting something much more than Gilbert was willing to give in Matthew's voice, causing the albino to become a bit stiff.

He walked to the word, opening an arm to gesture respectfully to his superior to head out first before following. After that, the two walked in relative silence up the spiral staircase, the only sound to be heard their clacking feet.

Before Gilbert could stop himself, he found himself speaking once more. Strike two, for Beilschmidt. Thankfully, even if he reached 3 strikes he would never be removed from this place. Francis trusted him and him alone to protect the Prince. "What made it seem as though your father knew me well at all?" He questioned, providing the blond with a side-glance. He could not recall the tall blond ever providing explanation to his observations, but he'd certainly seen something between the King and Knight. Something the two would do well to hide better.

But alas, before he could be answered, they had arrived at the top of the tower, door shut firmly and the only way to go other than down once more. Gilbert stared at Matthew, watching as the blond made absolutely no move to open the door and leave Gilbert to himself. No indication he was even planning on going into the room. Not a twitch. The only noticeable thing was that their eyes met. A battle of pure violet and strong crimson, scrutinizing each other and no doubt searching for weaknesses. The moment was ruined though, as the blond suddenly tore his gaze away and to the door, languid fingers clutching the bold handle.

And still. Matthew did not enter the room. All he did, was have his back to Gilbert with hand prepared to open the door, almost as though he was thinking through a response. Perhaps a question of his own? Or maybe, he was simply deciding that Gilbert was not worth his time at all and thus, was dismissing him in a way only Royalty could. Gilbert tensed up a bit more, kind of expecting to be hit... It was not an uncommon occurrence for him. Somebody grew cross with him, became so very silent before WHAM, he had a new red mark across his face. Strangely enough... Matthew did not seem the kind of perform such an act though, even with his pompous attitude.

"My Lord?" He asked, tentatively.

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